Process and apparatus for generating gases for power development



W, E. TRENT 1,758,630

PROCES S AND APPARATUS FOR GENEHAT T NG GAS ES FOR POWER DEVELOPMENT Fild OCT.. 25, Sheets-Sheet l gnou/Ho@ erffw May 13, 1930.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS EOI? GENERATI'NG GASES FOR POWER DEVELOPMENT y the ash contained in the coal frequently con-l Patented May i3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER EDWIN i TRENT, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO TRENT PROCESS COIR- IORATION, OFNEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE `PROQESS AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATIN G GASES FOR POWER DEVELOPMENT Application :tiled October 25, 1926. Serial No. 144,162.

The invention relates to a process for-producing and feeding-combustible gases to a boiler plant or other oint of consumption.

.Of recent years pu verized coal has been used to a large extent as a fuel in boiler plants and the like. While such material constitutes an excellent fuel, it has been found that stitutes a material part thereof and that a large part of this ash travels into the air with the products of c mbustion and another part has a decided tendency to adhere to and accumulate on the walls of the boiler tubes and other parts of the boiler. Both classes of ash are the source of considerable trouble and naturally are very objectionable.

It is an object of my invention to provide a rocess wherein the waste heat from the oiler plant assists most materially in converting a charge of pulverized coal into a combustible gas which in turn may be direct- .ly introduced to the boiler plant and there p consumed' without causing the adherence of ydeposits on the walls or tubes thereof.

Incarrying out my invention, I first pass the hot waste products of combustion from a boiler plant through a coal distilling apparatus wherein finel pulverized coal is passed in heat interc anging relationship with said gases to effect the removal of the volatiles therefrom and to provide a hot carbonized residue, preferably in the form of articles which is thereafter introduced with its contained heat to a'gas generator. In this enerator producer gas. is manufactured rom the hot carbonized particles and this 'producer gas continuously flows to the boiler plant leaving, ofcourse in the gas generator, ash 'and other foreign substances which would be detrimental to the operation of a boiler` plant.v

The coal distilling method utilized in this process is of the type described, and claimed perse in my coending application, Serial No. 135,471, file have pointed out the advantages of treating pulverized coal in an exceedingly fine state of sub-division of say 300 meshes or finer, as

- such coal is so mobile that it will. actually flow Sept. 14, l926,`w'herein.1

Figure 3 is a sectional View of the gas geni erator shown in Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts, the numeral l designates a boiler plant. Obviously any well known plant may be used or infact, any apparatus where fuel is needed for the generation of steam or power. As shown, this plant has a series of tubes 2 of conventional structure.

Leading from the boiler plant vis a conduit 3. Through this conduit stack gases of a rather high temperature, in fact, considerably higher than the usual temperature of suc gases, are conducted to the coal' distilling apparatus 4. These lgases are preferabl of a temperature of from 500 C. to 600 The coal distilling zone has a suitable pocket 5 in the base thereof, and leading from this pocket there are a plurality of hollow tubes 6 extendin chamber at the top of the apparatus. Immediately below this chamber 7 there is al chamber 8 having an inlet 9 by means of which very finely pulverized coal of say 300 kmeshes per inch or finer is introduced to the to the smoke and gas discharge a slow continuously moving stream, discharges from'said tubes at the point A and then ascends as indicated by the arrows designated by the reference character B upwardly through the chamber 13 surrounding the tubes 10, around the upper end of an annular wall 14, thence down throughv a passage l5 and thence up through an annular passage 16 from whence the finely carbonizedv with the carbonized particles as indicated by the reference characterB applied to the arrows, these gases finally rising through the gas outlet 13a into the chamber 1.1 from whence they are withdrawn by the pipes 12.i

, As pointed out in my co-pending' application Serial No. 135,471, the heating of the pulverized particles may be effected without causing a substantial agglomeration or/fusing of these particles. This is in part due to the fineness of the material, the rateat which the heat is applied to the material and the fact that the gases are compelled to travel along with the fine particles under-v going treatment. ,Y

The gas generator'18 may be of any conventional form thatk will separate ash. AThe fine particles pass downwardly through the tube 19 and then ascend through the gas generating chamber 2O while subjected to' the desired gas producing treatment, anyunconsumed material such as ash, etc., Howing downwardly through the annular space 2l from vwhence such material is withdrawn through a line 22.- To convert the finely pulverized particles into producer gas, air may be introduced through the air line 23, passing through the tuyres24 into the bed of `hot carbonaceous particles to eect incomplete combustion thereof, generating producer gas -whichfdischarges through the line 25 and is conveyed to the fire box 26' of the boiler, where such gas mixes with additional air introduced through the line 27 in sumcient quantities to form a highly combustible mixture. rl`he temperature of the material in the generator 184 is preferably raised from '100 to 1000 C. by this incomplete combustion in order to manufacture the most desirable producer gasV lf preferable, steam can also be admitted with the air through the line 23 for the production of producer gas and/or water gas, in which event, of course, the temperature of the finely carbonzed particlesv will be lower than if air is introduced alone. llt will be appreciated that as occurs in the ordinary producer gas operation substantially the entire combustible, content of the very hot carbonized particles is converted into gas while the ash and other substances that cannot be gasified fiow into the annular chamber 21 and are withdrawn bythe lne`22.

By the foregoing operation l am enabled to continuously produce gas for generation in a boiler plant by waste heat from said plant. This permits the boiler plant to be operated at a high'eiflciency without the dangel'l of the formation of foreign deposits on lthe Walls thereof. By utilizing very finely pulverized coal and by iiowing this coal in the manner specified, a most effective. heat transfer may be obtained which enables this coal to be devolatilized, forming hot carbonized particles which are thereafter readily converted into gas in the gas generator 18.

`Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. The herein described process consisting in passing waste gases from a zone of combustion in heat transferring relation with finely pulverized coal to remove the volatiles Y therefrom and form a carbonizedresidue, in

introducing such residue with its contained heat toa gas generator, in producing from the carbonaceous content of the residue gas in said generator, in conveying said gas to the zone of combustion, and in removing foreign substances from the generator.

2. The herein described process consisting in passing waste gases from a zone of combustion'in heat transferring relation with finely pulverized coal to remove the volatiles therefrom and form a carbonized residue, in introducing suchresidue with its contained heat t0 a gas generator, in producing from the carbonaceous content of the residue gas'y in said generator, in conveying said gas as produced to the zone of combustion, and in removing foreign substances fromy thegenerator. l

3. The herein described processA comprising continuously passing waste gases fromV a zone of combustion into, heat transferring re-` lationship with a continuously moving body of finely pulveri'zed coal, in removing the volatiles from said coal and in providing a carbonized residue substantially in the form of carbonized particles, in transferring suclarticles with their contained heat to a gasi- Ifying zone, in there effecting a gasification of the carbonaceous particles by causing anincomplete combustion of said particles by the introductionfof air, in conveyingvsuch gas continuously to the combustion zone to be consumed for the development of power, and in withdrawing from the gas generating zone ash forming incombustibley substances.

t. The combination with. a steam boiler plant, of a coal distilling apparatus, means or feeding pulverized coal continuously to said apparatus, means for continuously passing waste gases from said boiler plant to the coal distilling apparatus to remove volatiles from said pulverized coal and to form a carbonized residue, a gas generator, means for discharging such residue to'said gas gener` ator, an air inlet to said generator, whereby vair is admitted to elfect partial combustion of carhorized particles therein, means for withdrawing ash forming substances from the generator, and means for continuously returning gases to the steam boiler plantv to be consumed therein.

5. The combination with a boiler plant having a fire box, of a coal distilling compartment, means for conducting flue gases from the boiler plant to said coal distilling compartment, nie-ans for feeding finely pulverized coal to said compartment to travel in indirect heat transfer relation with said flue gases to effect the distillation of said coal and the production of a residue in the form of carbonized particles, a gasiiier, means for discharging said heated particles to the gasifier, means for introducing air to the gasifier to make producer gas from the hot carbonaceous material, means for conveying said producer gas to said lire box, and means for discharging ash forming materials from said gasiier.

6. A method for generating power comprisingy passing waste gases from a power generating zone in heat transferring relationship with an advancing body of finely pulverized coal". removing the volatiles liberated by the heat from the coal, separately removing the carbonized residue, introducing said residue to a gas generating zone, subjecting said residue to gas generating conditions, whereby the carbonaceous portion of said residue is completely gasified, and introducing the resulting gas to said power generating zone lor combustion therein.

7. A continuous process for converting carbonizcd material into gas and for utilizing said gas, comprising passing nely pulverized coal continuously in heat transfering relationship with an advancing stream y of highly heated waste gases, controllingthe temperature of said gases to edect a removal of the volatiles from said coal, and to produce a highly heated carbonized residue, continuously advancing said residue with its contained heat to a separate gasifying zone, in-

" troducing to said zone air in quantity Sullicient to make producer gas, and continuously feeding said producer gas to a zone of combustion where said gas is consumed.

8. A continuous process for converting carhonized material into gas and for utilizing said gas, comprising passing finely pulverized coal continuously in heat transferring re-l lationship with an advancing stream of highly heated waste gases, controlling the teniperature of said gases to effect a removal of the volatiles from said coal, and to produce a highly heated carbonized residue, continuously advancing said residue with its conbustion where said gas is consumed and with- 70 drawing the ash forming substances from said gasifying zone.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

W'ALTER EDWIN TRENT. 

